THE BRITISH LOVE OF FAIR PLAY (AND WAR)

Stephen Blumenthal

As the century closes, we are presented with countless documentaries about the violence of the last hundred years, as if trying to come to terms with what has transpired. A recent series on the Anglo-Boer War (1899-1902) caught my attention, a fitting reminder of how this bloody century began for this country, and a personal note for me as an immigrant from that part of the world.

The first programme began with the British army arriving on the shores of the Cape with the attitude that the war they were about to become embroiled in was a game. They were going hunting and they reportedly expressed the view that they should give their Boer foes a sporting chance. Within a short space of time they realised how wrong they were and it was three years and many a fallen soldier before they returned victorious.

As an avid Anglo-observer, this got me thinking about the British attitude of fair play and the involvement of this country in various wars this century. Until recently, people commented that Blair was Clinton’s poodle and that Britain had pretensions of power beyond her station. She would do anything the Americans told her to do. Yet it was Blair who was the standard bearer in the Balkans, prepared to talk tough and act tough too. Even with huge commitments in the Balkans, "we" (I use the word in the broadest possible sense) sent Gurkas to East Timor who undertook delivering food and supplies through dangerous territory to relieve civilians. And before that, Major committed us as a senior player in Bosnia and in the Gulf. Thatcher "kicked ass" in the Falklands to exuberant cries of "Gotcha" from the tabloid press.

Justice is undoubtedly a core value of this society and the rich tapestry of cultures who are relatively cordially accommodated here attests to the tolerance of these shores. Whilst wars rage in other parts of the globe, at home we confine ourselves to military metaphors: "civil war" within one or other of the main political parties, "trench warfare" in the Commons, "skirmishes" at Westminster, "bringing out the big guns" at the time of the election.

So, can the British be described as a war-like nation? Is it a simply a passion for justice, or is there more to it? A passion for war perhaps? The outward politeness of people in this country is often commented upon, as is how much goes on below the surface. Whoever said the British weren’t passionate?